A petition has been started to try and get the graveyard at St Mary’s Church closed over Goth weekend after the argument about photography near graves rages on.

The online campaign, which has so far gathered just short of 400 signatures, is calling upon the Parish Office at St Mary’s to bring in a temporary closure order to protect the good name and the ethos of the Whitby Goth Weekend.

It comes after repeated requests from church officials and signs on the gates asking goths and the legions of amateur snappers to not stand on graves or damage the flowers in the churchyard when posing for pictures.

The call for the petition which is on www.change.org adds: “People are still disrespecting the graves of the ancestors of the Whitby residents, by using their graves as props for a cheap photo opportunity.

“Not only is this disrespectful to the families and the church, it is giving Goths a bad name, causing tension in the community for those who are Goths all year round, not just for the weekend.”

Dozens of comments have been posted adding support from the petition from Whitby folk and fans of the festival as far away as Qatar.

Janet Harland from Sleights said: “It’s very disrespectful and very upsetting for family members.”

Nerina Orton from Birmingham said: “As someone who regularly attends WGW events I find this behaviour disrespectful and abhorrent. “We are here to enjoy the music and events, not upset residents by being disrespectful or prancing about for photos.”

There was further controversy over the weekend when police closed the Swing Bridge and Pier Road to traffic due to the volume of people walking around town and drifting into the roads.

Police are also investigating after the alleged theft of almost £1,000 from a charity stall in the Pavilion, run by Scarborough Whitby and Ryedale Mind (SWR Mind).

The theft is believed to have happened between 5pm and 5.30pm on Saturday

Sarah Skidmore from Whitby who ran the stall said: “I’m devastated and in tears. This is the lowest of the low.”